Smartphones affecting relations between parents and children, says study

74 percent of parents confessed that excessive use of their smartphones is hurting their relationship with kids. Here’s what more study revealed.

People claim to spend an average of 6.5 hours of the day on their smartphone, the study revealed. (Pixabay)

Parents always suggest their children to stay away from the excessive use of smartphones. Ofcourse, we all know the side effects of the usage of screens including laptop, desktop or smartphone. But a recent study by Vivo revealed that 80 percent of parents spend their time on smartphones even when they are with their kids and a whopping 74 percent of parents confessed that excessive use of their smartphones is hurting their relationship with kids.

Indeed, smartphones have become an essential tool in our daily lives, allowing us to stay in touch with friends and family. And during Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, it was even more important, which improved our general quality of life by making us feel comfortable, secure, and entertained at home. But our usage of smartphones has skyrocketed in recent times as study mentioned that there has been a 32 percent increase in the time spent on smartphones from the pre-Covid period and it does have an impact on our relations now. The study titled ‘Impact of Smartphones on Human Relationships 2021' is published by smartphone brand Vivo in association with Cybermedia Research.

Key findings of the study:

The study showed the huge impact of smartphone usage in the lives of parents with their children, as 69 percent of parents confessed that they lose track of their children, surroundings, and people when they are immersed in their smartphones, and 74 percent admit to getting irritated when their children ask them something.

On one hand, parents feel that smartphone usage is affecting their relationships, on the other it has already started affecting the emotional and mental health of their children. The study stated that 90 percent of parents confessed that their children show some signs of aggression due to the extensive usage of smartphones by their parents. Additionally, children are sometimes found to be lacking in acceptable moral and social behavior. 85 percent of parents feel that their children find it difficult to mix with other kids in a social setting.

Increased usage of smartphones

We ourselves know how much we use our smartphones, especially since lockdown! But study proved it! People claim to spend an average of 6.5 hours of the day on their smartphone. Overall dependency on smartphones left no sacred space as 70 percent of people tend to use their smartphone while having even food, and 75 percent use their smartphone while sitting with family.

Though, amidst the alarming results in terms of the negative impact of smartphones on our lives, the only hopeful figure we got is that 95 percent of respondents accept that they would love to spend more uninterrupted time with their children.